We discuss why awareness of your own well-being is key to success, and how it can impact your performance.

This week our host Stuart Pedley Smith, Head of learning here at Kaplan, explores the topic of well-being and it’s impact on your studies and working life.

Kaplan’s Learn Better podcast covers topical subjects to support our past, present and future learners to succeed in both their studies and careers.

Guest expert mental health speaker, Ross McWilliam of Mindset Pro, talks through the importance of acknowledging well-being and how to optimise our productivity through taking care of our wellness. He asks “Does being the best come at the expense of mental health?”, as well as sharing the 5 pillars to help you perform at your maximum.

Key Topics:

What is wellness?

Wellness is being in a position to enjoy life and reach our potential whilst also being about to know when we are being compromised and know how to improve it when it happens.

Being aware of your own wellness and well-being is key.

The 5 pillars of wellbeing

• Sleep:
  With sleep it is important to find what works for you and not worry about it too much as this itself can cause you stress.
• Diet:
  People generally know what they should eat to maintain a healthy balanced diet. But making sure this is a priority can really help to support your wellbeing.
• Exercise:
  Going outside, getting vitamin D and moving is a great way to improve your wellness. Exercise doesn't have to be going for a run or a 2 hour gym session. A great way to keep moving, without thinking about exercise specifically, is through activities like gardening. It keeps you moving and distracts your mind.
• Being connected:
  We all know that being connected to other people is important to our wellness.
• Self esteem and purpose:
  Self esteem and purpose is at the core of who we are. Learn, grow and enjoy life, don’t be too critical on where you are or compare yourself to others. Accept where you are in the world, or challenge it if you need to.

Failing fantastically

Often people talk themselves out of things to avoid failure. However, some of the best achievements in history have come from great people failing fantastically. So much can be learned from mistakes and we shouldn’t be scared to fail, as otherwise you can end up missing out on what you could have achieved.

So, fail fantastically - like the greats.

Working at 85%

People often believe you should always work at 100%, but that can leave little room for you to step up when needed. Instead you should think about working at 85% as this gives you the flexibility to take on extra work when it is needed but without causing yourself to burn out.